Mission: Undercover
by an anonymous geek
Summary: Kel and Neal go on a mission to the Copper Isles. Isn't gunna be romancy till later chapters, but it will come! kn
1. Chapter One

Mission: Undercover

by an anonymous geek

Chapter One

[420 H.E., 21st year of the reign of King Jonathan IV and Thayet, his queen]

Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan woke up late one sunny morning. Birds chirped outside her window, and she got up to open the shutters to let them in. As she looked outside, she saw a courtyard and a stable where the men of the King's Own kept their horses. A few people walked through the courtyard. Two young lovers kissed below her on a small bench. A confident young man walked briskly to the stables. One old man hobbled across the courtyard on a cane.

Keladry, known as Kel to all her friends, turned away from her window to change out of her nightclothes into plain brown breeches and a white shirt. As she pulled on soft brown boots, slightly worn from much use, she heard a loud knock on the door, and immediately the door opened to reveal a tall muscular brown haired man with laughing emerald eyes.

"Queenscove! You can't just come in here like that! I could've been changing."

"Mindelan, my knock was warning enough."

Nealan of Queenscove, known as Neal, walked into Kel's room after closing the door. Kel grinned and stood up just as Neal plopped down on a chair. She shook her head in mirth and started tidying up her room.

"So, do you know your orders yet?" Neal asked.

Kel looked up and replied, "Not yet. I'm supposed to meet with the king and Sir Myles this afternoon, though. What did you come here for?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't have any plans."

"Do you want to come with me to a party at the Dancing Dove? It's some rogue celebration, and I was invited and have no one to go with."

"What about Yuki?"

"You haven't heard? She returned to the Yamani Islands a few days ago." Neal's face was solemn as he said this.

Kel was shocked. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Neal shrugged. "Anyway, are you coming?"

The girl sighed. "I guess I will."

Neal walked over to her, hugged her tightly, and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you later." Then he left the room.

~ * ~

Kel walked into Sir Myles's study, where she was supposed to meet the king and Sir Myles, and was surprised to see Neal there, too. He smiled as she sat down next to him at the table where he, King Jonathan IV, and Sir Myles of Olau sat. They all greeted each other, and then got down to business.

The king told them about the mission. "Sir Myles had some spies in the Copper Isles, but we haven't heard any report from them in a few months. We need you two to figure out what happened to them, while trying to get the information that these spies were attempting to find.

"There is some suspicion that the king of the Copper Isles is planning an attack on Tortall. You two will go undercover and pretend to be married nobles." Neal's eyebrows rose immediately, but he did not say anything. "Sir Myles will give you the details later. Do you have any questions?"

They both shook their heads and were dismissed. They walked out of Myles's study thinking about their mission.


	2. Chapter Two

Mission: Undercover

by an anonymous geek

Chapter Two

Kel looked at herself in the mirror one last time. The dress that she was wearing to the party at the Dancing Dove was made out of a deep red material. It was tight fitting, to Kel's discomfort, and it flared out a the bottom. The neckline was lower than Kel would have liked, and a small silver necklace hung around her neck. Her hair was done up in a loose bun at the top of her head, and little curls framed her face.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts of disgust about her clothing. She opened the door and there stood a dashing Neal. He looked at Kel.

"Kel, you look magnificent," he declared.

Kel punched him in the shoulder. He moved back and rubbed his shoulder in mock hurt. "Come on," she said. "Let's get this over with."

~ * ~

When they entered the Dancing Dove, Kel immediately regretted agreeing to go to this. The room was filled with smoke, and all over were intoxicated men who stumbled around the room. The center of the room was cleared out for some rowdy dancing, unlike the slow, peaceful music that Kel was used to at the court balls. Kel looked over at Neal and was not at all surprised to see a mischievous gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face. She sighed; what made her evening worse was that he was enjoying it. She walked over to the counter of the bar and sat down on a tall chair. A big hairy man walked over to her and handed her a large wooden cup of strong ale.

"Here, drink this. It's on me. Ye look as if ye could use a bit 'a this to lighten up yer day."

Normally, Kel would have turned away such an offer, but she did not want to be rude, so she nodded toward the rosy-cheeked man and took a sip. She shivered at the sensation of such a strong drink going down her throat. She forced herself to drink more. Taking a big gulp of the liquor, she shuddered.

When she came to the end of the ale, she realized that she liked it and actually wanted more. She signaled the bartender over and asked him for more ale. After this she started to lose sense of it. She was slightly aware that at one point she stopped drinking and started dancing, but it was all happening in a blur.

~ * ~

Sometime during the night, Neal stopped to look for Kel. To his surprise, and amusement, she was downing a huge mug of ale. He walked over to talk to her, but she didn't even acknowledge him. He shrugged and walked away. Later, he saw her dancing with a very drunk man. She looked as if she was about to collapse.

He walked over to her, and pulled her out of the room.

"Wha-what?" she asked.

"I think you had a _little_ too much to drink."

"I don't think so, but it's _really _hot in here." They walked outside. "Do I know you?"

Neal smiled. "I don't think so."

"I coulda sworn. . ."

He chuckled and pulled her up in front of him on his horse, while he took Peachblossom's reins. Kel leaned back against him and sighed. Neal was surprised by her behavior. This was a Kel he had never seen before. Of course, he had never seen her drunk before, either.

By the time they had reached the palace, Kel had fallen asleep. After he had given the reins of both the horses to a boy who worked at the stables, Neal picked up Kel and walked toward her room. He was surprised at how light she was. Even with all that muscle, she was still much smaller than him. When he reached her room, he opened her door and laid her down on her bed. He was conscious of how strange he must have looked, walking through the halls of the palace, carrying Kel. Once he had laid her down, he looked at her. She looked so peaceful and innocent. He could have stayed there, looking down at her for awhile, but he knew that he needed to get his sleep. He leaned down, kissed her on the forehead, and walked out of the room.

~ * ~

A/N: okay, I know the whole Kel-gets-drunk thing has been used way too many times, but at least I didn't do the Kel-gets-drunk-and-kisses-Neal thing, though that wouldn't have been that bad! hehe.

Okay, this is going to be a LONG story, longer than my other ones, and the romance is not really going to come for awhile. I'm just going to have a little tease every chapter. Like, in this one where she's resting her head on his chest, and then where he kisses her on the forehead. There'll be those kinds of things in every chapter. And then they'll finally get bigger and better, but notice that this is rated PG, and that means I'm not going to have any *nasty* things in here; you know what I mean. I think its utterly disgusting when people write stuff like that. Okay? Good.

Please review! Flames are accepted, but I don't take them very well, so if I tell you to die, know that it's your own fault.

~Alianne (I BOUGHT TRICKSTER'S CHOICE!!! yay!!! now I'm obsessed with it and I'm calling myself Alianne) 


	3. Chapter Three

_**Mission: Undercover**_

by an anonymous geek

**Author's Note**:  
  
Geek: weak, guilty smile  
  
Readers: glare  
  
Okay, okay, I KNOW! weak attempt at laughter It's been a while. Yeah, a year, but so what? I'll make it up to you SOMEHOW! I swear. I have no good excuses; I've basically just been a lazy bum. I haven't read any Tamora Pierce books in ages, so this chapter might be just a BIT off. The way you can help me is by reviewing.  
  
**Recap**: Kel and Neal were assigned a mission to the Copper Isles, where some spies have gone missing. They will pretend to be a married noble couple. They both went to a dance-thingy at the Dancing Dove, Kel got drunk, Neal brought her back to her room and kissed her on the forehead. I think that's it...  
  
**Disclaimer**: I dont own nothin'.

Chapter Three

_Pain. Immense pain. Shooting through my head. Basically... ouch. Can't think. Can't open my eyes. Too bright._  
  
**GONG GONG!**  
  
_Damn those bells. Too loud and obnoxious. Someone should shut them up. Wait. Why is there pain? Why do I feel as if something large and spikey crawled up my nose, into my brain, and died? Relization..._  
  
Kel shot straight up in bed, immediately falling back down. _Last night... oh, bad memories._ Actually, there weren't any real memories. All she basically remembered was drinking, and then... the rest was a blur. If she hadn't been in so much pain, she would have slapped her head in shame. She knew that she must have made a complete fool of herself. Drunk. She had gotten drunk. Kel, the strict and uptight Yamani-raised Lady Knight, got drunk. It was an embarrassment not only to her, but to her family, who she hoped wouldn't find out about her little escapade. If the little gossip-mongers of the palace got hold of this information, they would be sure to tell everyone they knew, and then by the end of the day, everyone would know what an idiot Kel had been the night before.  
  
A wave of nausea washed over her, and Kel found herself running desperately to the bathroom, where she proceded to throw up. Once her retching had subsided, she cleaned her teeth and washed her face. Then she looked in the mirror. _Ugh_. She looked awful. Under her eyes were large black circles, and her face was unnaturally pale. Looking down, she noticed that she was still wearing her dress from last night, so she hastily changed out of it into her regular breeches and shirt. The door opened abruptly, and a blurry figure walked through.  
  
"Gooooood morning, Kel!! It's a BEAUTIFUL day, and what are you doing still here in your room?!"  
  
Kel's mind shrieked in pain, and she fell back down on her bed, grabbing at her forehead. "Not... so... loud," she whispered. "And what did I tell you about barging into rooms unannounced?"  
  
The green-eyed knight had the nerve to grin. Grinning, when she felt like this... like something the dog dragged in. "Suffering from a hangover, Kel? Tsk tsk. Did Perfect-Morals Keladry of Mindelan get drunk?" His voice was smothered with fake shock.  
  
"No need to be such a drama queen," she said exasperatedly. "Just heal me, would you?"  
  
Without warning, the pain in her head subsided, and she began to feel a bit better. Looking up at Neal, she gave him a small, warm smile of thanks.  
  
"Any time," he told her, before exiting. Kel sighed and got ready for the big day ahead of her, for today was the day she and Neal left for the Copper Isles.

* * *

Neal grinned widely as he walked through the corridors of the palace. Talking to Kel always left him life this... feeling as if nothing could bring him down. Life was good, at least for now. Even after all these years, he didn't quite know what to make of his friend.  
  
Kel was a unique and mysterious person, at least to Neal. He, like any other man, didn't quite understand the inner workings of the complex female mind. But Kel was a level beyond that. She didn't even act like a normal female. Reserving emotion for only rare moments, she was hard to read. He usually could not tell what she was thinking by just looking at her, as he could do with many of his peers. However, he could admit that she wasn't as bad with her emotions as he was when he first met her.  
  
The day he first met her... he would remember it forever. There, in a group full of tough, intimidating guys, was a small girl, with a blank face. About to be stuck with the biggest jerk in the world, Joren of Stone Mountain, she had a fate that no person should have to face, especially not a girl. Therefore, he had taken it as his duty to watch over her, tell her all the tricks of the job. He soon found out that she really did not need his help. She could hold her own easily, and this he realized when she started beating up the big bullies, like Joren. He couldn't be more proud of her, yet he still felt a bit of brotherly protectiveness that he still held on to. Although she could take care of herself, he would always be there fore her, even if she didn't know it.  
  
Reaching his room, Neal sighed, opened the door, and began to pack for the mission.

* * *

The wind blew Kel's short hair into her face, and she had to hold it back. She and Neal were on a ship heading to the Copper Isles, a land of mystery to Kel. Although she had taken history classes, she still didn't know much about the land, other than its capital was Rajmuat and it was full of thieves, smugglers, and convicts. They were at the moment heading toward Kypriang Island, in a city called Laujin, right outside of Rajmuat. Eventually, Kel knew, they would end up in the capital, but for the time being they would be staying with a Tortallan spy named Katerina Yuang, whom Kel had never met even though she had visited the palace a few times during the period when Kel had been a page.  
  
Feeling a presense near her, Kel turned to the side to see Neal leaning against the railing of the ship right next to her. Their shoulders were touching, though Kel decided that Neal hadn't noticed it, and it sent a warm shock down her arm. She shivered. What was that? Must have been sea sickness, Kel decided.  
  
"What's your pseudonym?" Neal asked abruptly.  
  
"Yvonne. Yours?"  
  
"Gestroth. And, according to the king, we're from a small fief called 'Pearlmouth.'"  
  
They both looked out at the sea, and Kel caught a spark of something shiny... metal, maybe? But after a moment, it was gone. Meanwhile, Neal was talking to her.  
  
"...Don't you think so?"  
  
Rapidly, Kel tried to remember what he had been talking about, but nothing came to mind. "Um... sure."  
  
Neal stared at her for a moment and then snorted in laughter. "I just asked you if you thought Owen would look good in a mini-skirt and heels, Kel!"  
  
Her eyes widened, and then she scrunched up her nose. "Ew, Neal! Why did you have to bring unpleasant images to my head?"  
  
Neal just laughed and looked back at the sea, and Kel did also. Now there was unmistakeably something there. She squinted and could make out the shape of a ship... a war ship, it looked like.  
  
"Seems as if we've got company," Neal murmured.

* * *

**Author's Note**: There ya good. Goodness all around! Now all ya have to do is REVIEW and maybe I'll update more quickly!!!!!!!  
  
GET TO IT!! REVIEW, YOU DUNG-COVERED MONKEYS! 


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